The Toyota Celica XX - The Father of Supra.
Launched as the premium package of the long-popular Toyota Celica, the "XX" pronounced "double-x" featured a pair of inline 6 engines as choices over the standard Celica's inline 4. 4M-EU 2600cc or (1)M-EU were the inline-6 options. And late-models were equipped with a 2800cc 5M-EU as well as adopting the first independent rear suspension for the lineup.
In the USA, the 1978 was the launch year with the only choice being the 5M-EU, and this was the first "Supra" as the name "XX" was met with opposition by the sales division for very obvious reasons.
However this "Supra" name was not adopted in Japan until two generations later in 1988, when the Supra line split from the Celica line. This is when the Celica moved on to package with the "T" chassis front-drive/all wheel drive layouts, while the Supra retained the sporting/luxury rear-drive "A" chassis layout.
The Supra had a very popular life, evolving from this XX to the next generation of A64, and MA70, and finally the very iconic JZA80. All of the XX/Supra had body designs like no other car, with very dashing and bold looks that were really original to the car, especially the MA64 and MA70.
All of the XX/Supra were built in Japan, none built abroad.
All the way to the last Supra in August of 2002, when the last few hundred JZA80 chassis were pulled off the production line, and hand-assembled in Motomachi Plant before being converted to the very facility where the Lexus LFA was to be built by hand as well.
These LAST of the few hundred model year 2002 Supra, in extremely low numbers of 200 or so, are considered the "Holy Grail of the Supra," as they are rumored to have extra attention to detail for assembly from body to engine.
Photos: Wikipedia commons
